Handle or grip for golf clubs



Oct. 6 1925- H. M. BALLOU HANDLE 0R GRIP FOR GOLF CLUBS Filed Jan. 21. 1924 2 Sheets-Swat 1 720672 W/ufim Z 1AM Oct. 6 1925.

H; M. BALLOU HANDLE OR GRIP FOB, GOLFCLUBS 2 Shgets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. ,6, 192 5.

- UNITED STATES HOWARD I. I BALLOU, OINOR'IE AT'ELEBOBO, MASSACHUSETTS.

ml) 03 GRIP I03 GOLF CLUBS.

' Application filed January Ill, 1924. Serial No. 887,458.

To all whom itfm'ay concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD M. BArJLotr, a citizen of the United States, and resident of North Attleboro, in the county of Bristol 6 and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in- Handles or Grips for Golf ubs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to golf clubs and 10 is intended to provide a handle of suitable size to be grasped roperly by the hands of the player, provi ed with finger-locating depressions or seats so disposed as to facilitate theproper positioning of the fingers for gripping the club in such a way as to secure the desired flexibility of the wrists when swinging the club in making a stroke or drive.

It is a well known fact among golfing experts that'the tendency of the player to grasp the club in the palms of the hands acts to so tighten the muscles and cords of the wrists and forearms as to seriously interfere with the freedom of the swing. The 26 present invention is intended to minimize this trouble by roviding finger holds or seats so arranged as to properly locate the fingers and the thumbs of the two hands when gripping the handle of the club so .as

0 to preserve flexibility of the wrists, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the stroke or swing.

To this end the invention comprises, essentially, a handle or grip of general cylindrical as form provided with two sets of relatively disposed areas or finger-holds arranged longitudinall of the handle, one set in advance of the ot er, and each set oflset circumferentially of the other so as to be disposed to on approximately opposite sides of the handle, there being rovided also suitable thumb rests or seats or locating and sustaining the grip of the two thumb These and other features of the invention will be explained in the following specification and will be defined in the claims hereto annexed. In the accompanying drawings have shown an improved handle, or grlp, em- '0 bod ing the principles of this 1nvent 1on ma e of approximately cylindrlcal tubmg and constructed so as to permit a circumferential or angular adjustment of the ip with relation to the club, but it wil be understood that, in'the practice of this invention, leather or any other suitable material may be a plied to the rear or upper end of the sha t of the club, the essential thlng belng that the handle, of whatever construction or material, should be provided with the locating finger seats, according to the principles of this invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l'is a perspective View showing 111 improved grip, gripped in the hands wit the fingers and thumbs located on their respectlve seats to get the proper grip to secure flexibility of the wrists.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the detachable handle showing the side of the club provided with the finger-locating and gripping seats for the left hand of a righthanded player. a

Figure 3 is a side. elevation of the opposite side of the club, showing the fingergripping seats for the right hand of a righthanded player.

Figure 4 is a cross section on line ww showing the angularly adjustable interlock between the detachable handle and the shaft of the club. 1

Figure 5 is an unfolded or flat development showing the approximately relative positions of the various finger and thumb grips characterizing the invention.

In order that the grip-locating handle may be shifted from one club to another I have shown a tubular handle 1, of approximately cylindrical form terminating at its lower or forward end in a reduced collar 2, which is fluted or corrugated to form an interlocking engagement with the correspondingly corrugated ferrule 4, which is securely attached to the shaft 3 of the club. The tubular corrugated end or nipple 2, telescopes over the exteriorly corrugated nipple 4 and the handle is held securely and firmly upon the shaft in any desired position of angular adjustment by means of the retaining screw 5, which has screw-threaded engagement with a screw-threaded bushing or nipple 3 fastened in the upper or grip end of the shaft 3, the head of the screw bearingagainst the outer end of an interior stiffening bushing 6. When the handle is interlocked or engaged with the corrugated nipple, as shown in. Figure 3, in proper circumferential, or angular relationship to the shaft the binding screw 5 is tightened securely to maintain it in firm locked relation to the shaft of the club.

Near the outer or grip end of the clubhandle 1, is formed a series or row of depressions or relatively flat areas 10 for accommodating the four fingers of the left hand of a right-handed player. Slightly farther in advance of this longitudinal row of finger-holes or seats 10, a somewhat. similar but preferably slightly larger depressed seat 11, is provided, the same being laterally or diagonally offset with relation to the finger-locating and sustaining seats 10. This depression 11, is intended to locate and sustain the pressure of the thumb of the left hand.

Another row of finger seats 12, extending longitudinally of the handle, is provided on the opposite side of the club of the firstmentioned row, this second series or row of finger seats being intended for locating the fingers of the right hand. As it is preferred to have the little finger on the right hand overlap the fore finger of the left hand, I have shown only three individual finger seats on this side of the club, and it will also be observed that the thumb seat 13, for locating the thumb tip of the right hand, 1s slightly to the rear of the forward finger seat 12 which receives the fore finger instead of being in advance thereof, this position being preferred as tending to increase the flexibility of the right wrist.

The precise location of the various finger and thumb seats will depend somewhat upon the size of the individual hands, but in general it may be stated that the important thing to be observed is that there shall be two substantially longitudinal rows of finger seats, one row arranged in advance of the other, and on the opposite side of the handle, while the thumb-locating seats, when used, both fall between the longitudinal axes of the two rows.

It will be understood that the detachability and adjustability of the handle, while constituting a valuable feature of the invention, is not indispensable since the most important feature is the arrangement of finger-locating areas so arranged as to lnsure gripping the club with the fingers of e ch hand rather than seating the club firml in the palms of the hands, which is the more natural procedure, and is one that is very difiicult to correct.

To secure the desired results it is not at all necessary that the finger and thumb seats be in the form of very deep depressions. As I have actually used them with success, the depressions are very slight comprising hardly more than relatively flattened spots or areas in contrast with? the convex curvature of the other portions of the grip.

What I claim is: l

1. A gripping handle for golf clubs embracing in its construction a grip member of general cylindrical shape formed with a longitudinal series of relatively depressed spots formindg seats for the finger ends of one hand an with a similar thumb seat depression, somewhat in advance of and diagonally ofi'set'with relation to the forward one of the finger seats aforesaid, and being provided also 1y dlsposed series of finger seat depressions the rear one of which overlaps the aforesaid thumb seat de ression, and a thumb seat depression for t e other hand laterally offset in relation to the second set of finger seats on the same side thereof as the first mentioned thumb seat, substantially as described.

2. A gripping handle for golf clubs embracing in its construction a. member of general cylindrical shape, formed with two rows or series of finger-locating and sustaining seat portions extending substantially lengthwise of the handle and arranged on opposite sides thereof, one row in advance of the other and circumferentially offset thereto, and approximately located thumb seat portions for locating the thumbs of each hand, the thumb seat portions being diagonally offset from the longitudinal axes of the two rows of finger seats and included between said axes.

3. A gripping handle for a golf club having an approximately cylindrical shape and provided along one side with a longitudinal row of depressions disposed longitudinally near the upper end of the handle for receiving the fingers of one hand, another series of depressions arranged below along the opposite side of the handle in advance of the first-mentioned depressions, and thumb-sustaining depressions for each hand each of which is diagonally offset from the row of depressions for the fingers of the corresponding hand.

4. A handle for a golf club provided with finger locating depressions forming seats for the ends of the fingers and means for detachably securing said handle to the shaft of the club in any desired position of circumferential adjustment, substantially as described.

5. A golf club embracing in its construc tion a tubular handle exteriorly provided with suitably located relatively disposed areas forming finger locating seats, and a shaft to which said handle is detachably secured, said shaft and said handle being provided with coac-ting interlocking portions by which they may be secured together in with a second forward-- substantially as described.

x 6. In a golf club the combination of a angular relationship according tothe posi- I.

'T shaft, a handle comprising a hollow member tion of the finger-locating seats, and a reof approximately cylindrical form provided taining bolt inserted throu h the outer end with superficial de ressions formin rof the handle and having astening engagelocating seats, sai shaft and sai handle ment with the end portion of the shank,

being provided with interlocking corrugasubstantially as described. 16 tions to hold them positively against re In'witness whereof I havesnbscribed the tive displacement under torsional strain above specification. while providing means for adjusting their HOWARD M. BALLQU. 

